Review: When a Man Falls in Love




There are dramas with my favorite actors in it that I avoid because their roles might not please me. When A Man Falls In Love (WAMFIL) is one of those dramas. My trepidation comes from early news which indicated that my man might get a role as a cheating husband.

A cheating hero is definitely a big no for me. It doesn’t matter how much I love 송승헌 (Song Seung Hun) I won’t be able to take it. Therefore it takes me awhile to gather my courage and watch WAMFIL.

And what an experience that is.

I’m not going to say I love this drama because even now as I’m writing this review the bitter after taste remains. But I can’t say I hate it either because, Oh My God, my man is so lovable. There has never been a more deserving hero to be loved than Han Tae Sang.

Unlike our usual hero who is basically an ass, Han Tae Sang who is a gangster (former gangster) has a heart of gold. A softie behind his tough façade. A gentleman who doesn’t even know that he is one. A hero through and through.

He is intelligent without showing off his brain. He is kind and generous without being obvious. He is easy going without being easy. A second rate mobster who thinks he could mess with this divine looking filthy rich former gangster turns into businessman soon learns that underneath all of his new looks, Han Tae Sang is still a very dangerous man.

A dangerous man who has no knowledge about women and looks so adorable when he tries to date for the first time in his life.

So, with that kind of a hero how is it possible for me not to love this drama? Well, I tell you why. It’s because I don’t like the heroine. She doesn’t deserve Han Tae Sang’s love at all. He deserves to get a better woman than she is.

This is the first time in my experience of watching a kdrama that I do not root for the male and the female leads. I always root for the heroine because no matter how annoying or stupid they are our usual kdrama heroines are cute, kind hearted, not materialistic and most importantly always loyal and faithful. Soe Mi Do is neither. I don’t like her in the beginning, hate her in the middle and totally disappointed that she doesn’t disappear from the face of the earth by the end of the drama.

I love kissing and bed scenes in kdramas. Never once I imagine that they could ruin a drama for me. I watch those scenes in WAMFIL with utter disbelief. Silently screaming NO, NO, NO!



Those scenes are the last straw. I want the male lead to end up with the second female lead. Unlike other love obsessed vengeful second female leads Baek Sung Ju really loves Han Tae Sang and I love her for that.

And how I love Han Tae Sang when he recognizes the fact that Baek Sung Ju does love him and he could be happy with her instead of with a girl who not only has no love for him but worse has no regards for him what so ever. A girl who shamelessly cheats on him with a guy who he considers as his own brother.

Am I being unfair towards Soe Mi Do? I don’t think so.

Although I don’t like her, I give her a credit for accepting Han Tae Sang’s love and money and for trying to like him. But the moment she starts kissing Lee Jae Hee, the moment they start to make love in Han Tae Sang’s house, on his very bed, well, I could only say bitch.

She should tell him right then that she loves another man. She should tell him that she doesn’t want him nor his money anymore. She would redeem herself if she does so. But she doesn’t.

Being fickle is one thing. But a cheater is another thing entirely. The heroine in I Hear Your Face is fickle but despite her fickleness she knows what’s right and what’s wrong. 

A stupid heroine is acceptable. An annoying heroine is acceptable. What’s not acceptable is a cheating heroine. A heroine who doesn’t even have enough decency to recognize what’s right and what’s wrong doesn’t deserve to be loved by the male lead nor by the audience.

When A Man Falls In Love offers something new. But on hindsight perhaps it’s better to stick to the standardized formula which has been proven to be loved and enjoyed by the viewers for so many years.

What I want to feel when I finish watching a drama is a bubbly feeling that makes me feel the world is a wonderful place. I want my drama to put a smile on my face and bring spring to my steps. I want a drama that would make me feel good.

There are some scenes in WAMFIL that give me a good feeling. The scene when Han Tae Sang closes his eyes when he thinks that Soe Mi Do is about to kiss him is my favorite. 


But even that scene has lost its power against the destruction brought by the cheating heroine. Like Han Tae Sang you might be able to forgive her and love the drama. Unfortunately I can’t.

*note to self: never ever watch a drama where the leads are cheaters!*

Comments

Anonymous said…
this drama made me so angry. I watched it years ago but I still get angry when I see the poster or the actress. worst character ever but I can't say I didn't enjoy watching it.
Fixy said…
Thanks for sharing your feelings. I'm glad that I have a fellow watcher that shared my sentiment. How I hated her. I still couldn't bring myself to like her even today.
Unknown said…
I think the problem with her is that she is a bad actress. She shows very little range of emotions. You can't tell what she's thinking or felling. She lacks any spark. Sorry, I really liked the show, but was always waiting for something more with her. She dragged the drama down.
Anonymous said…
I stopped watching the moment they ended up in bed.. i watched this because of ssk but i just cant cant stand her role in this..!!!
Unknown said…
We said my heart girl.... I mean I was in a utter shock after watching the bed scene. How on earth she could do that!! I stopped watching the drama that very moment. You wrote so we'll.. I was feeling so low after watching the bed scene. I just couldn't take it. I felt like vomiting... I was puttly disgusted. But after reading your thoughts I feel good. At least people should know the difference between right and wrong.
Fixy said…
Thank you for commenting. I really should be strict with myself and not do what I had decided not to do. But Song Seung Hun is a too big temptation for me.
Anonymous said…
I'd like to watch the whole episodes but when i saw the female lead cheating gives me trauma. Wtf is that? How? It's stupid i can't imagine why they let that story happen. Fckng cheaters.
Anonymous said…
I just can't get over with that cheating scenes. Fml.
Anonymous said…
Completely agree